Means for cooling and conditioning air



May 7, 1935. A. w. CLARKE ET AL' MEANS FOR COOLING AND CONDITIONING AIR' Filed Oct. 15, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR (212021114670 ATTORNEY y 1935- A. w. CLARKE ET AL 2,000,821

MEANS FOR COOLING AND. CONDITIONING AIR Filed Opt. 15, 1932 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FEI- INVENTORS 022s". hlflanfe.

ATTO'RNEY y 1935. A. w. CLARKE ET AL 2,000,821

MEANS FOR COOLING AND CONDITIONING AIR Filed Oct. 15, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS 'flllen M tflarfle. 51311122711? flleiruhson.

ATTORNEY Patented May 7, 1935 PATENT OFFICE 2,000,821 MEANS roa coomvo AND connmome Allen W. Clarke and William F. Dietrlchson, Berwick, Pa., assignors to American Car and Foundry Company, New York, N. 2., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 15, 1933, Serial No. 637,906

7 Claims.

This invention relates to means for cooling and conditioning air.

One object of this invention is the provision of a simple, inexpensive and compact portable construction which is efiective for cooling and conditioning air to be introduced into an area to be cooled such as aroom, railway car, or the like. The present invention contemplates the use of water ice as a cooling medium, which ice will melt to provide cool water which collects in a reservoir and which is utilized to further reduce the temperature of the air after the same has been cooled by surface contact with the water ice.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken with the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section showing one form of the invention.

Fig.2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view of a portion ofa modified form of the device, certain parts being broken away to disclose other parts, and a portion of the view being shown in sectionL Fig. 6 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, showing another modification of the invention. d

Fig. 7 isa sectional view on the line 1-1, 5, and l Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 3-4, Fig. 6.

In the drawings similar characters of refer- Fig.

ence designate similar parts in the several views and now referring particularly to the form shown in Fig. 1, the device of the present invention comprises a body portion indicated generally at A which is substantially boxlike in form and constructed of heat insulating material; the body portion A having a top 2, bottom 4,, ends 6 and side walls 8 and M respectively, side wall It preferably having doors l2 framed therein. The bottom 4 is shownas formed of wood reinforced by suitable stringers I! but this is merely by way of example as the bottom and stringers may be formed of any suitable or desired material. The body portion A is preferably provided with an outer sheathing I 4 of metal and an inner metallic lining [6. In order that the device 'may be easily moved from place to place the precooler may be mounted on rollers or casters but inasmuch as these are conventional they are not illustrated.

Formed within the body portion A is an ice chamber C defined by metal end plates l8 secured to timbers 20 which latter extend between the side walls a and Ill, and a pan-shaped bottom plate 22 supported by the lowermost timbers 2c and by lomgitudinally extending supports 24 secured to the side walls (see Fig. 4); the bottom plate 22 being provided with a plurality of drain openings 26 and serving to support an ice grate 2B. The interior of the ice chamber C is provided with awire screen 30 of relatively heavy mesh which is secured to internal braces 32 and serves not only to prevent damage to the plates l8 and the side wall 3 of the body portion A by ice within the ice chamber C but to eliminate suspended moisture and foreign matter carried by the air in its passage through the precooler, as will be more fully apparent hereinafter, the screening constituting a filtering medium and also certain walls of the ice chamber as will be apparent.

Depending from the top of the box into the ice chamber C and preferably extending from side to side of the latter are baflles 34 and arranged intermediate these depending baflles is a baille 36 which projects upwardly from thebottom plate 22, the bames 34 and 38 dividing the ice chamber C into a plurality of compartments each adapted to receive water ice. At one end wall an air intake conduit 38 is provided, the outer end 01' which is provided with a filter element 40, a screen in the instance shown, and the opposite end projects into the ice chamber C through the adjacent end plate l8 whereby outside air is discharged into the ice chamber and into contact with the ice therein. Due to the baffles 34 and 36 it will be obvious that the air is forced in a zig-zag or tortuous path in accordance with the arrows shown in Fig. 1 whereby the air is forced into surface contact with a maximum area of the water ice positioned in the several compartments of the ice chamber, thereby eifecting cooling of the air. In the opposite end plate l3 an air outlet opening 42 is provided and the air passes in the direction of the arrows into the vertical neck 44 of a duct 46 which extends longitudinally of the body portion A beneath the bottom plate 22; It will be obvious that the ice inthe compartments of the ice chamber will melt and the water therefrom will pass through the apertures 26 to .the bottom of the body portion A, which latter serves as a reservoir for the water and it will also be apparent that the duct 46 is positioned within this reservoir, the opposite end of the duct terminating in a vertical neck 43 which discharges into a blower housing 53 having a flexible conduit 52 secured thereto. The housing 53 contains a suction fan (not shown) which is operated by a suitable electric motor 64. The duct, 46 is supported on brackets 56 and the interior thereof is provided with alternately arranged bailles 64 which serve to cause the air passing through said duct to travel in a zig-zag or tortuous path whereby it is forced into direct'contact with the inner surface of the walls of the duct to be further cooled; the duct obviously being cooled by the water which has melted from the ice and which collects in thewater reservoir. It will also be apparent that the baiiies 56 function as eliminators to remove any suspended moisture from the air prior to its discharge from the blower housing 50.

In use, with the motor 54 operating the suction fan in the housing 50, it will be obvious that a suction is created within the body portion A which serves to draw air from outside the precooler through the air intake 38 from where it passes over the ice in the several compartments in the ice chamber C, then out through the air outlet 42 into the neck 44 of duct 46, then through the duct 46 to the blower housing 50 and through the flexible conduit into the area to be cooled; the air in its passage through the ice chamber being subjected to surface contact with a maximum area of the ice and the battles 34 and 36 serving to remove moisture from the air. The screen 30 also serves as an eliminator and this also applies to the baiiles 58 in the duct 46.

In order to prevent the collection of an excess amount of water in the reservoir an overflow pipe 60 is provided. In order to drain the entire device of water for cleaning purposes a drain pipe 62 is provided which may include a suitable valve (not shown) normally retained closed to permit the collection of the required amount of water in the reservoir.

The construction shown in Figs. 5 and 7 is quite similar to that in Fig. 1. However, the bottom plate for the ice chamber in the form shown in Fig. 5 is indicated at 64 and is imperforate; the meltage from the ice in the ice chamber 0 passing to a sump 66 and then through a pipe 68 into a cooling coil 10 which inclines downwardly from the pipe 66 to a discharge pipe 12 which, like pipe 62, is preferably provided with a suitable cut-off valve (not shown). The coil 10 is arranged within the duct 46 and is supported on a frame 14.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6 and 8 the lower portion of the structure also functions as a water reservoir which receives the water melting from the ice supported on the grate 26. The bottom plate for the ice chamber C may be perforated as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 or may be imperforate as shown in Fig. 5. Preferably the bottom plate, indicated at 16-, is imperforate and the water melting from the ice flows through an opening 18 formed in one of the walls ll of the ice chamber. The air after passing through the air inlet 60 follows a circuitous or tortuous path in the ice chamber C due to the baflles 34 and. and passes out of the ice chamber through anopening 82 adjacent the lower end portion of the end plate I6, and then passes directly into the water reservoir indicated at 84 into surface contact with the water therein. After traversing the length of the water reservoir the air then passes into the duct 46 and then out of the body portion A through the blower housing 50. The duct 46 in the form shown in Fig. 6 is provided with a neck 66, for the entrance of air, the upper edge portion thereof being arranged below the bottom wall of the ice chamber C and below a partition 88 extending between the side walls of the body portion and between the end wall 6 and plate I8 of the ice chamber at the air entrance portion of the latter. With this construction it is apparent that the fan in housing 50 causes the air to be drawn through the ice chamber and out through opening 82 into surface contact with the water in the reservoir where the air is cleaned and cooled prior to its entrance into duct 46.

From the above description it is believed that the construction and operation of the precooler of the present invention will be fully apparent to those skilled in the art. The drawings illustrate several types of-precooler or, to be more exact, modifications of the form shown in Fig. 1, but it is to be understood that the drawings are for ilustrative purposes only and various changes in the form and proportions of the device may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a precooler, a body portion having walls therein forming an ice chamber a reservoir receiving water melting from the ice, baflie means in the ice chamber dividing the latter into a plurality of compartments, air inlet and outlet means for said ice chamber, blower means for drawing air through the ice chamber, means constituting at least part of the walls of said ice chamber so formed as to remove suspended moisture from the air, and an air duct in said reservoir receiving air from the ice chamber and having one end discharging outside the body portion.

2. In a precooler for air, a body, means forming an ice chamber therein including walls and a bottom plate arranged above the bottom of said body portion, means for admitting air into said ice chamber, a plurality of baiiies in the ice chamber for causing air admitted to the latter to traverse a circuitous path therein, means constituting at least part of the walls of said ice chamber so formed as to remove suspended moisture from the air during its passage through the ice chamber, a duct beneath the bottom plate receiving air from the ice chamber,'suction means for drawing air through the ice chamber into said duct, and baflle elements arranged within said duct.

3. In a precooler for air, a body, means forming an ice chamber therein including walls and a bottom plate arranged above the bottom. of said body portion, means for admitting air into said ice chamber, a plurality of baflies in the ice chamber for. causing air admitted to the latter to traverse a circuitous path therein, a filtering medium forming at least part of the walls of the ice chamber adapted to remove suspended moisture from the air during its passage through said ice chamber, a duct beneath the bottom plate receiving air from the ice chamber, suction means for drawing air through the ice chamber into said duct, and a cooling coil in said duct adapted to receive water melting from said ice.

4. In a precooler for air, a body having an ice receiving chamber and a water reservoir therein, a plurality of baiiies in the ice chamber, screening surrounding said ice chamber constituting an eliminator for suspended moisture, an air inlet into said ice chamber adjacent the upper por-: tion thereof, an air outlet from the ice chamber adjacent the lower portion of the latter, a duct in said water reservoir adapted to be cooled by the water therein, said duct being adapted to receive air from the air outlet, and a blower for least part of the walls of said ice chamber. and

creating suction through the body to draw air through the ice chamber and into said duct. 5. In a portable air cooling device, an enclosed chamber having a plurality of adjacently arranged ice receiving compartments so formed as to constitute a series of connected air cooling chambers, baiiles forming certain of the walls of the compartments and adapted to eflect circulation of air through the chamber in a tortuous path, air filtering material forming other walls of said ice receiving compartments, a reservoir receiving water melting from the ice and provided with an air conduit therein connected with the chambers, and means for i'orcing air through the air chambers and air conduit.

6. In a pre-cooler, a body having walls therein forming an ice chamber, a reservoir receiving water melting from the ice, baiiie meansin the ice chamber dividing the latter into a plurality of compartments, air inlet and air outlet means for said chamber, air filtering means forming at an air duct in said reservoir receiving air from the ice chamber and having one end discharging outside the body.

7. In a pre-cooler for air, a body, means forming an ice chamber within the body including walls and a bottom plate arranged above the bottom of the body, air inlet means for the ice chamber, a water reservoir below the bottom plate receiving water melting from the-ice, an

air duct.

ALLEN W. CLARKE;

WILLIAM 1". DIE'IRICHBON. 20 

